Taurus purchase recommendation?

Hey Taurus owners. I am thinking about buying a used 2001 with the duratec. If I do, what should I expect from the car? Does the duratec make much difference in acceleration over the vulcan? Is it easy to maintain, meaning filters are standard parts and accessible and brakes are easy to replace (I've never done a drum)? How about for problems? Any recurring electrical, mechanical, or reliability problems? Seems like some people from 1996-1998 are posting problems...is the car only good 5 or so years before it falls apart all around you? This one has to last me a while. Thanks for any input.

We recently purchased an 01 SES, with the Duratec for my wife, and so far it's awesome. I know a few people that are on their 2nd and 3rd Taurus, over a long period of time. Remember that there are a ton of Taurus on the road, and you will usually only read about the problems, not the happy people. It's a numbers thing also, the more there are on the road, the more problems there will be. I think for the money, and judging from the feedback I've heard, you can't go wrong with a taurus. One thing, don't buy a new one, they depreciate very quickly. Buy one a few years old, and throw an extended warranty on it, you'll save lot's of money that way. Good luck

I haven't heard of too many issues with the 00 and up cars, and the Duratec would be my choice. My 97 has the Vulcan, and it's dependable as heck, but the Duratec does offer more HP, which is definitely needed in a 3500 lb sedan.

Thanks for the input. And for the link to the TCCA site. I can live with the minor maintenance worries I saw on the site.